Craig Roh: Ex-Michigan footballer who wanted to build life dies at 33 after battling cancer for 18 months

ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN: Craig Roh, a former Michigan football star, who wanted to build a life around the things that mattered to him, died at the age of 33 after battling Stage IV colon cancer for 18 months.

His wife, Chelsea Roh, shared the sad news on X, from Roh's account, on Wednesday, February 28.

Why was Craig Roh not very public about his fight against cancer?

Chelsea said that Craig was not very public with his fight against the disease as he was more focused on creating the best content and products he could.

“Craig was not very public with his battle, as he truly just wanted to focus on bringing the best content and building the best products he could,” she wrote on X.

“He laid out a timeline for his business so stay tuned… Many have asked how they can help, I’ve attached our GoFundMe to this post,” her post added.

Craig Roh faced cancer with resilience and faith

The GoFundMe page set up by Roh’s family also revealed that Craig did not want to go public with his diagnosis and treatment because he did not want the attention to be on him.

He tried various options from chemo to targeted therapy to clinical trials at MD Anderson and in Honduras and remained resilient until the very end.

“Craig did not want to go public with his diagnosis and battle because, in true Craig fashion, he did not want the attention to be on him,” the GoFundMe from Roh’s family added.

“From chemo, to targeted therapy, to clinical trials at MD Anderson and in Honduras, Craig was resilient [until] the very end,” his family said added.

The family also said that they will use the funds raised by GoFundMe to cover Roh’s medical bills and future education for his son Max who is only five years old.

Roh’s funeral will be held on March 16 in Phoenix, Arizona, where he was born on January 25, 1991.

Craig Roh excelled in football and academics

Craig had a passion for sports, academics, and bible study from a young age, according to his biography on the GoFundMe.

He started playing football and basketball at the local YMCA and Boys and Girls Club when he was six years old.

Roh continued to pursue his football dream at Chaparral High School where he became a varsity starter in his sophomore year.

He earned many accolades in his senior year such as Arizona Gatorade Player of the Year and Under Armor All-America.

He received offers from 35 Division I programs and chose to play for The University of Michigan on a full scholarship.

At Michigan, he set a record for the most consecutive starts in a career from freshman to senior year. He also won several awards such as freshman All-American, All-Big Ten, and Top Michigan Defensive Lineman.

Craig Roh transitioned from football to technology

After graduating from college, Roh played professional football for a year with the Carolina Panthers in the NFL, before moving to the Canadian Football League. He joined the BC Lions and won a CFL Grey Cup championship.

He then switched his career to technology and moved to Austin, Texas with his family. He worked for various startups and also built an online defensive line coaching football business, according to the GoFundMe.

Roh married Chelsea in 2016 and welcomed their son Max in 2021 who is two-and-a-half years old. Roh was devoted to his faith, his marriage, his son, his family, his friends, and his business.

"Craig didn’t care about the frivolous things of life. He wanted to spend all of his time caring, loving, and building a life around the things that he believed mattered,” the GoFundMe read as also reported by People. 

“Whether it was his faith, his marriage, his son, his family, his friends or his business he always had an unrelenting focus with his time and energy.”

It added, “Even though Craig’s life was cut short on this earth, he truly felt he had lived a full life and knew he was going to spend eternity with Jesus.”